


The Disrespect

by xximpressions



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29614683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xximpressions/pseuds/xximpressions
Summary: Reader has a longtime crush on her childhood friend Thomas Shelby. When it starts to look like he might like her too, she learns he only returned her affection so she'd come to the racetrack for the sake of Billy Kimber. As she absorbs this information, she realizes her self-worth refuses to tolerate his disrespect.
Relationships: Thomas Shelby/black!Reader, Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s), Tommy Shelby/Reader, Tommy Shelby/black!reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	1. The Disrespect

**Author's Note:**

> After watching the episode where Thomas gives Grace to Kimber to "sweeten the deal", it made me wonder what would happen if the person he tricked into the date had outright refused to go through with it, and was in fact outraged he'd even considered doing such a thing. This is the beginnings of that idea. 
> 
> I might continue depending on how this goes.
> 
> Shoutout to @breanime for working through this idea with me!

Your heart slowly began to crack open as you realized what was happening. 

As the pieces began to fall into place, you couldn’t help flashing back through the past few weeks where Tommy’s attitude suddenly went from friendly to almost flirtatious, seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, as you held more and more of his attention, you became ecstatic as you started to believe that he felt as you did. 

The two of you had known each other most of your lives, with your mother raising you in the house to the right of Polly Gray’s. The boys in the house next door became your natural playmates as they were the only kids that seemed willing to play with the little black girl. As you all grew from children into adults, your heart stopped beating for you and began to beat for the second eldest Shelby brother. And really, it was his fault for your crush on him. It was inevitable as he was the one to seek you out when he couldn’t sleep. When he was the one to absentmindedly play with the springiness of your curls. And he was the one to make you feel important anytime he looked your way. In the end, you couldn’t help but allow your feelings to develop into an obvious crush.

That is why you were currently standing next to a bar, devastated as you realized that he had used it against you. 

His strained attempt to be casual about the situation he put you in was almost passable. But you had known him all your life and easily saw through it. No matter how innocent he wanted to make the matter, you both knew that no man wanted to go home alone with a woman he didn’t know for innocent reasons. 

You wanted to believe Tommy wasn’t trying to put you in such a position, but the hope you had was only feeble when you repeated his words back to him. 

“Just me and him, huh?”

Your voice was quiet and controlled as you hoped for some absolving clarification, but prepared yourself for what you knew would be a damning confirmation.

Your eyes turned accusatory when his avoided your gaze during his response, 

“Yeah, just a couple of hours till we get some stuff sorted.” His voice still held the original nonchalant tone he used when he first mentioned you going off alone with Billy Kimber, but his refusal to look at you always gave him away. 

The blatant omission for why he’d be leaving you alone with Kimber only rang louder in the suffocating silence you wanted him to fill. Your hands shook as you waited for him to say he was only joking. Your mouth went dry as you waited for him to say he was only kidding. And your eyes began to burn with held back tears as you prayed for him to say he was lying. 

But the silence only went on, and your heart continued to break.

After an eternity of waiting passed in a few moments, you could only shake your head with devastated disbelief as you quietly said the only sentence going around in your head,

“You are unbelievable.”

Because though you could believe his actions, you could not believe he would do them to you. Even without romantic feelings, you had known Tommy since before you could walk. He was your closest friend and most trusted confidant, and he was using both for his own advantage. 

A bitter smile joined the shaking of your head with a disgusted scoff as you turned to the bar to gather your things. 

Seeing that the ruse was up, Tommy rushed to lean in with an urgency to make you understand.

“Look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If he goes too far, just beam him between the legs.”

Your hands were shoving him away before you even realized he had tried to reach for you. 

“If? If??” you hissed the word back to him. Your eyes were narrowed with a dangerous glint to them as you repeated such a moronic phrase, “If he goes too far??” 

Tommy’s face never changed, but the swallow of his throat showed you he knew exactly what you meant by throwing the words back in his face.

“You would have to be an idiot to believe a man like that would take no for an answer. And we both know Thomas Shelby is no fucking idiot.” 

Your chest heaved with the effort it took to control your volume and breathing. You knew that getting worked up and raising your voice would get you nowhere and only leave you feeling more embarrassed than you already did. But that didn’t minimize the effort it took to suppress your body’s desire to break down in tears. 

“So was any of the past few weeks real? The wining and dining? The walking me home? The calling me your best girl? Or was it all just a ploy to get me here? To give me to Kimber?”

You knew before you asked, but it still hurt like nothing ever had before when his eyes dropped to the floor, confirming your answer. His eyes stayed on the floor in what could be mistaken for shame, but the world knew Thomas Shelby didn’t feel shame. To feel shame, he’d have to feel regret for his actions, and it was becoming increasingly clear that he could only regret you figuring out his plan.

“It’s not like that,” he said quietly with his head still down.

“No?” You questioned sarcastically as you took a step into his personal space to force him to look you in the eyes. “Did you or did you not just offer my body to Billy Kimber?”

You forced him to hold your gaze as you awaited his response because that was the only time he lost the ability to lie to you.

So it was no surprise he swallowed before slowly answering with the truth.

“It was a bet.”

But the surprise of his answer made the rest of your heart shatter before you emotionally shut down entirely. Of all the people you knew, Tommy was the only one who was aware of how much you feared being tricked into being someone’s prize. To fall in love with someone only to learn you were some itching fetish that needed to be scratched. Or some checkbox for a man to say he ticked-off his list on his journey to a “proper wife.” And to hear that your lifetime best friend had put you in that situation...you were simply left in utter disbelief.

“That’s even worse.”

And what sucked most about all of this was that your self-respect refused to allow you to be treated in such a way. You were a woman, black and proud to be so, and you had standards for how you were to be regarded. Therefore, you’d be damned if any man - Thomas Shelby included - reduced you to anything less than the respectable being you knew yourself to be. 

So, you took hold of your glass and downed the rest of your drink before turning back to him. 

“I truly hope whatever you bargained for was worth it,” 

Picking up your purse, you finished the last words you ever wanted to say to him. 

“Because it definitely just cost you our friendship.”

And you began the walk out of the bar, denying your eyes any opportunity of looking back.


	2. The Distress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the wonderful feedback!

Your feet were cursing your pride as you trekked the hour-long walk back home. When Tommy asked you to dress nicely for the racetrack, you brought out your best heels. And while they went great with your new dress, they were not great for hiking. But since your choices for getting home were limited, you had little room to complain. With your refusal to ask Tom and your lack of funds for a cab, you could only try to hold onto your proud posture as you walked home. 

And all things considered, the walk really isn’t that bad. Slowly making your way down the road while taking in the sights was nothing to turn your nose up at. Being constantly surrounded by the depressing grey of Small Heath leaves you with an appreciation for when you see the green of nature. And really, allowing yourself to see this as a nature walk was much more preferable than allowing yourself to think about being used as tradable currency. 

The serene quiet of your walk was only interrupted by the occasional running engines of cars. Every now and then, one would pass by and kick up the dusty road around you before it slowly settled down again. That’s why you thought nothing of yet another approaching car coming from behind you. It was probably another racetrack patron making their way home. But as the car got closer, the sound of the engine didn’t do the predictable thing and remain steady. Instead, its once loud hum began to soften into a quiet mutter. 

It was stopping. 

Your first emotion to this realization was annoyance. You would think after telling Tommy that you wanted nothing more to do with him, he’d take the hint and stay away. However, taking yourself off the negotiating table had the potential to mess up whatever deal he wanted to make. And while men like Kimber didn’t allow “no” to stop them from having women, men like Thomas Shelby didn’t allow “no” to prevent good business. So though you had already refused him, it would seem he wasn’t going to give up on his disrespectful request so easily. 

With that in mind, you gave in to your rising annoyance as the car finally stopped behind you. You let out an exasperated sigh and allowed your arms to cross over your chest before finally turning around to face your now former best friend. As you turned, you decided if Tommy said anything other than an apology, you would be clocking him in his obnoxiously handsome face before continuing on your way. But whatever greeting you were going to give him got stuck in your throat as your eyes finally registered what was in front of you. 

The man getting out of the car wasn’t Thomas. 

In fact, it was two men you didn’t recognize at all, both with tall and imposing figures, that were making their way out the car and onto the road where you stood.

Being raised with Polly Gray as a defacto Aunt had taught you, more than anything else, how to show no fear in the face of pathetic men who chose to intentionally intimidate women. Still, all the teachings in the world couldn't stop the iciness you felt from the cold sweat breaking out on your neck as you realized the position you were in. You knew being a black woman on a deserted road with two strange white men rarely ended well. 

But as much as you wanted to cower and make yourself smaller, your pride once again refused to show any appearance of weakness. So your back straightened instead as you prepared to stand your ground while addressing the two men in front of you. 

“Did you need assistance with your car, gentlemen?” you said as lightly as you could.

But your tone only caused oily smiles to spread across their faces as the driver of the car answered back. 

“Well Miss, you’d be assisting us a great deal if you would willingly get in the car.”

The sardonic laugh slipped out of your lips as you asked, “And why would I voluntarily do such a stupid thing?” Allowing the cold smile to remain on your lips as you eyed the one who spoke. However, it was the second man who chose to respond.

“Well, seeing as Thomas Shelby promised you to our boss after kindly pointing out all of our shortcomings, we thought it only right to show some initiative and kindly bring you to Kimber ourselves.”

The cold smile slid off your face as smug ones grew on theirs.

Your eyes narrowed as you abrasively informed who you now knew to be Kimber’s men that you had agreed to no such arrangement. 

“Don’t matter.” said the driver, “Kimber says he wants you, so he’s gonna have you.”

And don’t you just fucking hate to be right.

The next few moments were blurred together as the men tried to rush you. The driver grabbed you from behind and lifted you by your torso as the second tried to get hold of your legs. While your thrashing in the arms of one man caused the other to struggle, your kicking legs found the opportunity to drive your heeled foot into the crotch of the man in front of you. 

When he bent over with a yowl, you used that same foot to kick him across the face. As he fell back, the man behind you tried to look over your curls to see what had happened to his partner. His inattention allowed you to throw your head back as hard as you could to headbutt him in the face. His arms dropped from around you as his hands instinctively raised to stop the blood now gushing from what was likely his now broken nose. 

You landed with a huff before quickly turning around to throw your infamous right hook squarely into the temple of the squealing man. It came as no surprise when he went straight down; you don’t grow up around the Shelby’s without learning a thing or two. 

But your moment of victory was short-lived as you turned back towards the other man only to find him directly behind you with a fist flying toward your face.

Then everything went black.


End file.
